Making the wardrobe ready for winter

Caroline Dohack

Sunday

Oct 31, 2010 at 12:01 AMOct 31, 2010 at 7:00 AM

Iíve always found the unpredictable nature of Missouriís weather to be a good thing. Who doesnít enjoy a few cool evenings to break up a hot summer or one of those unseasonably warm football weekends during the fall?

It also means itís hard to decide when to swap out the summer wardrobe for the winter wardrobe. It seems as soon as the sweaters come out and the sandals go away, the temperature invariably flies back up.

But with November on its way, itís about time to go ahead and start swapping things out in the closet. Here are some tips for getting your wardrobe ready if you havenít already:

Make sure all your summer clothes are freshly laundered or dry-cleaned. Bits of food and soil that arenít visible now can still cause stains over time.

Store summer clothes in airtight plastic containers to keep moisture out. Iím a fan of the long, flat kind that fit under my bed, leaving more space in my closet for winter clothes.

Be sure to wipe out the containers with a disinfectant before putting your clothes away.

Take the time to go through both your summer and winter wardrobes and pick out pieces you wonít wear again. You can take items that are still in good condition to a consignment shop ó Platoís Closet and Blackberry Exchange specialize in trendy junior and young-adult fashions, while New Beginnings Consignment accepts more variety ó or donate them to Goodwill, the Salvation Army, Upscale Resale or the Wardrobe. Torn or stained clothing can be cut up to make cleaning rags. Be merciless toward garments that donít fit anymore, and donít hang on to anything you went a whole season without wearing. Get rid of holey tights or matchless gloves.

Get an appropriate assortment of hangers. Curved hangers will help protect your knitsí shapes. Heavier hangers are ideal for coats and jackets, and scarf hangers ó available as single rings with a hook or as bars with multiple rings ó are great for organizing neckwear. Cedar hangers will dissuade moths from snacking on wool garments.

If you plan to wear last yearís boots again this season, check out the soles for wear, and make sure the stitching along the zippers is intact. Take them to a cobbler if necessary.

Check jackets and coats for missing buttons, which are relatively easy to fix. A broken zipper takes some skill to replace. If youíre not much of a seamstress and want to save the jacket, take it to a tailor.

Check your sweaters for pills. These appear most often on the arms and sides of soft sweaters using natural fibers such as wools. You can remove the pills at home using a rotary brush or pumice stone, or the dry cleaner can remove them for you.

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